Skip to main content

Tag: Arizona

A Parent’s Guide to Autism Treatment and Support

If you are learning your child has autism, figuring out your next steps may seem complicated. No one is prepared to hear their child is anything but happy and healthy, and hearing Autism Spectrum Disorder can come across as frightening, so let’s define it.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is defined “as a developmental disorder that affects communication and behavior.” Children do not “grow out” of ASD, but they can receive treatment to help them develop new skills and overcome these developmental challenges. Early intervention is the most effective way to help your child find the right treatment and program type.  

Common treatment plans include 

Lexington Services offers autistic support services to kids with autism and other disabilities. Lexington Therapy Services provides children with skilled therapists and individualized plans for children to achieve their goals and thrive in life.

Lexington also provides an After School Program, Adult Program, and a Summer Program for individuals with Developmental Disabilities. Members can take advantage of several types of therapies in a center or in a home environment. 

Support is an essential part of you and your child’s journey. The right kind of support can bring together answers and ease in the same setting. Support groups and respite are great forms of autism support. 

Support groups allow parents to share information, receive advice, and really lean on each other for things emotional. Respite, which is provided by Lexington, can give parents a break from time to time. Lexington would match your child with a caregiver who will take over temporarily for a few hours or even days and provide autism help.

Another essential thing to remember is your own self-care. Raising a child is not easy, and raising a child with special needs provides more challenges. Making sure you are taken care of will bring out the best in your child too.

When looking for treatments, you will also come across programs.

These programs may include:

  • Government programs
  • In-Home Behavioral
  • School-based programs

Government based programs can begin as soon as a parent suspects something. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), children with disabilities are eligible to receive free or low-cost services. Infants through the age of two years old are eligible for early intervention programs. These early intervention programs are tailored to your child’s unique needs. 

To qualify, a child must undergo a free evaluation. Once the assessment is complete and if a developmental problem is found, the parent will then work with the providers to determine an Individualized Family Service Plan to describe the needs and specific services for the child.

Children three years and older are eligible for school-based programs. In school-based programs, children with ASD are placed in small groups with other children of the same level to receive more individual attention and specialized instruction. Depending on their abilities, these children may still spend part of their day in a regular classroom.

To receive school-based services, your local school system will have to evaluate your child. After the evaluation, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is created to address your child’s needs and the educational goals for the school year.

Lastly, in-home behavioral programs are also available. In-Home Behavioral Services “offer support to a youth who has a challenging behavior that interferes with everyday life.” Here, a team works with the child and parent to create a behavioral plan to improve their functioning. 

Although a diagnosis for your child may seem frightening, taking the first steps don’t have to be. With the right treatment and programs, your child can thrive. Lexington Services is committed to tailoring to every child’s needs and building a foundation for students to achieve their highest potential. Learn more about us today. 

Follow_Us-Graphic-lexington-services

Disclaimer: This post attempts to publicize ideas and comments that we find would be useful for our community to know. Our post is by no means intended to prompt you to handle your challenges in any specific way. We desire to bring helpful information to all our audiences and shine a light on popular topics.

How Does Arizona Rank For DDD Services?

Everyone deserves to live in an optimum location for their lifestyle. Whether that includes your hobbies, cost of living, proximity to family or the opportunities a city and state has to offer, people make choices for where they live based on their concerns. For people with disabilities, states that have more opportunities and services to offer are very appealing. As far as national ranks are concerned, Arizona is one of the best states that people can choose to live in for DDD services. This is based on a number of factors, including disability access, cost and availability of services and overall employment and economic outlook.

Stacking Up Nationally

Arizona has consistently stacked up as one of the best states in the nation to live in for people with disabilities. The DDD services that are available to people are ranked much better in this state than most of the nation. Rankings acknowledge that overall access to DDD services here is amazing. For many years, the state has ranked in the top 10 or top 5 states to live for people with disabilities and it has spent a lot of time at the number one spot. Things are also improving for people with disabilities in the state of Arizona, as Arizona adds new protections for disabled citizens and expands employment programs aimed at addressing

What Makes Arizona Rank So High

Arizona is doing a lot of things right in regard to DDD services and disability access. Arizona maintains one of the lowest percentages of people with developmental disabilities in institutions across the United States. At a collegiate level, the University of Arizona is one of the top 5 schools for disability access and support, so people come from across the country to attend that school. Arizona has a strong job market and the governor’s office just announced a partnership to increase the amount of positions in the state that are directly available for people with disabilities. Overall, it’s a great place to live and that’s part of why so many families come to Lexington for DDD services.

DDD Services At Lexington

Lexington Services provides services that adhere to the highest specifications of the Arizona Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD). In-center or in-home, Lexington has the resources to make sure that all member needs are met so they can thrive. Are you looking for DDD services in Arizona? Contact Lexington today for more information.

Click here to read more from Lexington Services.

Arizona Is Adding New Disability Protections And Programs

With much turmoil comes change. This week Arizona’s Governor, Doug Ducey, issued an executive order to increase and strengthen disability protections for people in Arizona. This is the most significant new step forward for people with disabilities as there have been a number of provisions, protections, and programs that have been created in Arizona. This is an unprecedented time for disability protections and the expansion of programs for people with disabilities in this state and will definitely create a new landscape for everyone to navigate moving forward.

Strengthened Disability Protections

The end of the year has been harrowing for communities across Arizona with the revelation of the Hacienda Healthcare scandal involving an incapacitated sexual assault victim in their care and the revelation that a man under their employ had allegedly committed these atrocious acts. Now as the scandal has grown deeper, the Governor is putting his foot down. Governor Ducey has instructed the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), the Department Of Economic Security(DES), and the Arizona Department Of Health Services (ADHS) to, “develop protocols on preventing, recognizing and reporting abuse and neglect for both care providers and parents or guardians of individuals with disabilities.”

Governor Ducey’s order also requires any “staff with direct contact to patients with disabilities to undergo annual training in abuse prevention.”

This order was signed only one day after it was revealed that Hacienda Healthcare did not meet its deadline to reach an agreement with a third party management company.

In our community, while Lexington Services has always maintained a strict and consistent training schedule for individuals in direct care roles for members, the fact that the state is creating new disability protections is a relief to concerned parents and guardians.

Improved Relationship With Police Community

Health care isn’t the only sector in which disability protections are improving. Arizona is taking steps to mend and increase the trust and understanding between the community with disabilities and the police. After an incident with Buckeye Police became the subject of national news, many departments have stepped up their efforts to relate to the disability and to increase disability protections through awareness programs. The Mesa Police department has created a program called Resident Assistance Program (RAP) that gives people with disabilities the option to report their disability to first responders, so police and other responders are aware and prepared to respond appropriately.

Because of the nature of policing in such a large and diverse population center, officers often have difficulty identifying the difference between the involuntary behaviors of a person with autism and some drug use behavior. In an effort to help educate and expand awareness for those that safeguard our communities, Lexington Services also reaches out to police departments across the state with information on how people with disabilities behave. Together we can make a difference for communities and for the relationships between officers and the cities that they serve.

New Jobs And Opportunities

Just one day before the executive order was signed to expand disability protections, Governor Ducey announced a partnership with The Precisionists, Inc. (TPI), which is an organization specifically created to create jobs for people with disabilities across the nation. “We want to be a state of opportunity for all,” Governor Ducey said. This partnership’s goal is to create at least 500 jobs within the next 4 years and 1,000 jobs by 2025 for adults with autism and other disabilities. These jobs will be in a variety of fields such as administration, software development, analytics, technology, and data entry. Reportedly three companies have already joined the partnership, including SRP and Mobile Mini. This promising partnership will bring more opportunities for people with disabilities to one of the most rapidly growing cities in the country.

Facing A New Landscape With Lexington

Arizona will definitely be a different state for disability protections, job creation, and community relationships over the next few years. Whether it’s community outreach, independent living arrangements or preparation to join the workforce, Lexington Services is a vital partner that parents, guardians, families and friends can look to. Call us to schedule a tour at one of our locations across the valley today at 480-900-1009 today.

If you want to read more from Lexington Services, check out our blog here.